Thread: where to buy ph kit?

In the organics forum, pH is only one piece of the puzzle. There are other variables that can affect pH other than sticking a probe in the ground, getting a reading, and adding lime. Soil testing would be a better method of knowing what's going on with the soil. It's cheap in most cases, and an easy upsell.

These are not probe readers, for what you said it looks like the 697-A looks like it will do just fine, anyone know what it cost?

The problem with ALL inexpensive pH meters and test kits is that they will measure the pH of the water you used to make the slurry, not of the soil. I tried using a RapidTest pH meter, but the resilts were all the same... 6.7 to 6.8 every time. So, I tried the little test kit, with the capsules also made by RapidTest... same thing.

Use distilled water which should have a pH of ~7. You should also be using distilled water with the Hanna probe as well.

LOL, yes, that is a given. Tap water has a lot of buffers in it that can skew the measurement.

I agree with Natty Lawn, pH is only a slice of the soil info pie, but still an important one. It helps sell the idea of a complete soil test, including organic matter content, micros and all the other good stuff a full soil analysis provides. Unfortunately, I cannot do a full soil workup on the tailgate of my pickup.... yet!

I have found that educating clients and involving them as much as possible makes it easier for me to sell responsible applications of all types. But, I will not be pulled into another organic debate here in this forum.... and that was the bait Natty put out there. I'll pass.